The Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by Vanbros & Associates, headquartered in Shawnee, Kansas. In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system.
| Formation | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Shawnee |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
Key people | John M. Vannatta Jason Vannatta Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher, State Pageant Director |
| Website | Official website |
Nebraska is one of the least successful states at Miss USA, having only placed 14 times. They were most successful in the 1950s, placing 6 times, with three runner up placements. Until 2018, their highest placement was in 1955 which was 2nd runner up. Belinda Wright's top 15 placement in 2010 was Nebraska's first semi-final placement since 1980 and first to win Miss Congeniality. In 2018, Sarah Rose Summers became the first Miss Nebraska USA to win Miss USA and becoming the 35th state to have the title of Miss USA for the first time. The most recent placement was Natalie Pieper placing 2nd runner-up in 2022.
In 2020, Megan Swanson became the first Miss Nebraska delegate to ever win the state title. Also, she and her sister Allie Swanson, Miss Nebraska 2019, became the first sisters to hold the statewide Miss USA and Miss America titleholders simultaneously.[1]
Amelia "Mimi" Wood of Omaha was crowned Miss Nebraska USA 2023 on February 26, 2023 at Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center in Omaha. She represented Nebraska for the title of Miss USA 2023.
Gallery
-
Guerin Austin, Miss Nebraska USA 2004 -
Micaela Johnson, Miss Nebraska USA 2008 -
Results summary
Placements
- Miss USA: Sarah Rose Summers (2018)
- 2nd runners-up: Donna Jo Streever (1955), Natalie Pieper (2022)
- 3rd runners-up: Shari Lewis (1956), Carolyn McGirr (1957)
- Top 12: Janice Geiler (1973), Rebecca Staab (1980)
- Top 15/16/19/20: Berneta Nelson (1953), Margie Winkhoff (1954), Dee Kjeldgaard (1958), Gail Weinstock (1961), Belinda Wright (2010), Amanda Soltero (2014), Erika Etzelmiller (2021)
Nebraska holds a record of 14 placements at Miss USA.
Awards
- Miss Photogenic: Janice Geiler (1973)
- Honorable Mention: Stacey Skidmore (2002)
- Miss Congeniality: Belinda Wright (2010)
Winners
- Color key
- Declared as Winner
- Ended as runner-up
- Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age[a] | Local title | Placement at Miss USA | Special awards at Miss USA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kamryn Buchanan | Lincoln | 24 | Miss South Lincoln | |||
| 2023 | Amelia "Mimi" Wood | Omaha | 23 | Miss West Omaha | |||
| 2022 | Natalie Pieper | Lincoln | 26 | Miss Douglas County | 2nd runner-up | ||
| 2021 | Erika Etzelmiller | Lincoln | 23 | Miss South Lincoln | Top 16 | Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2016 | |
| 2020 | Megan Swanson[1] | Omaha | 26 | Miss Millard |
| ||
| 2019 | Alexis "Lex" Nicole Najarian[2] | Lincoln | 23 | Miss Capital City | Daughter of Peter Najarian | ||
| 2018 | Breanna "Bree" Coffey | Valley | 24 | Miss Valley | did not compete |
| |
| Sarah Rose Summers | Omaha | 23 | Miss Omaha | Miss USA 2018 |
| ||
| 2017 | Jasmine Jade Fuelberth | Norfolk | 20 | Miss Norfolk |
| ||
| 2016 | Sarah Elizabeth Hollins | Omaha | 25 | Miss North Douglas County |
| ||
| 2015 | Hoang-Kim Cung | Grand Island | 23 | Miss Grand Island | Previously National American Miss 2012–2013 | ||
| 2014 | Amanda Soltero | Columbus | 22 | Miss East Lincoln | Top 20 | Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2010 | |
| 2013 | Ellie Lorenzen[3] | Omaha | 21 | Miss Omaha | |||
| 2012 | Amy Marie Spilker | Malcolm | 21 | Miss Malcolm | |||
| 2011 | Haley Jo Herold | Omaha | 23 | Miss Greater Omaha | |||
| 2010 | Belinda Renee Wright[4] | Scotia | 21 | Miss Greeley County | Top 15 | Miss Congeniality | |
| 2009 | Meagan Winings | Atkinson | 22 | Miss Sandhills |
| ||
| 2008 | Micaela Johnson | Omaha | 23 | Miss Douglas County | Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Squad Member 2003-2005 | ||
| 2007 | Geneice Wilcher[6] | Omaha | 26 | Miss North Omaha | |||
| 2006 | Emily Poeschl[7] | Lincoln | 21 | ||||
| 2005 | Jana Murrell | Omaha | 23 | ||||
| 2004 | Guerin Austin | Omaha | 24 | ||||
| 2003 | Jessica Perea[8] | Omaha | 22 | First Latina to win title[8] | |||
| 2002 | Stacey Skidmore | Omaha | 19 | Honorable Mention | |||
| 2001 | Su Joing Drakeford | Bellevue | 23 | USAF Airman 1995–1999, Miss Teen Omaha 1996, Later Mrs. Maryland 2015 | |||
| 2000 | Valerie Cook | Omaha | 25 | ||||
| 1999 | WaLynda Lou Sipple | Previously Miss Michigan Teen USA 1992 | |||||
| 1998 | Jennifer Naro | ||||||
| 1997 | Kimberly Jane Weir | Lincoln | 21 | ||||
| 1996 | Kerry Lynn Kemper | 24 | |||||
| 1995 | Chandelle Peacock | Omaha | |||||
| 1994 | Shawn Wolff | ||||||
| 1993 | Tish Gade | Lincoln | |||||
| 1992 | Jeanna Margaret Blom | ||||||
| 1991 | Ziba Ayeen[9] | Native of Afghanistan[9] | |||||
| 1990 | Angela Humphrey | ||||||
| 1989 | Renee Harter | ||||||
| 1988 | Kellie O'Neil | ||||||
| 1987 | Amy Anderson | Kearney | |||||
| 1986 | Ellen Withrow | Papillion | |||||
| 1985 | Lori Leigh Straight | Omaha | |||||
| 1984 | Joni Rundall | Omaha | |||||
| 1983 | Penelope Boynton | Lincoln | |||||
| 1982 | Lori Lynn Novicki | Omaha | |||||
| 1981 | Ladonna Hill | Seward | |||||
| 1980 | Rebecca Staab[10] | Ralston | 18 | Semi-Finalist | Played Jessie Matthews on Guiding Light[10] | ||
| 1979 | Rhonda Lundberg | McCook | |||||
| 1978 | Shari Alyce Reimers | ||||||
| 1977 | Deb Ridge | Hastings | |||||
| 1976 | Catherine Fricke | ||||||
| 1975 | Mary Lee Hoth | Omaha | |||||
| 1974 | Mary Wolff | ||||||
| 1973 | Janice Geiler | Semi-Finalist | Miss Photogenic | ||||
| 1972 | Theresa Engels | ||||||
| 1971 | Lola Butler | ||||||
| 1970 | Bonnie McElveen | Bellevue | |||||
| 1969 | Marily Poole | ||||||
| 1968 | Linda J Dresher | ||||||
| 1967 | Mary Hoth | ||||||
| 1966 | Karen Weinfurtner | ||||||
| 1965 | Constance Kellogg | ||||||
| 1964 | Georgia Ann Merriam | ||||||
| 1963 | Sandy Zimmer | ||||||
| 1962 | No Representative | ||||||
| 1961 | Gail Weinstock | Semi-Finalist | |||||
| 1960 | No Representative | ||||||
| 1959 | Priscilla Eckrish | ||||||
| 1958 | Dee Kjeldgaard | Semi-Finalist | |||||
| 1957 | Carolyn McGirr | 3rd Runner-Up | Finished as 4th runner-up, but succeeded to 3rd runner-up when the 3rd runner-up took the place of the 2nd runner-up | ||||
| 1956 | Shari Lewis | 3rd Runner-Up | |||||
| 1955 | Donna Jo Streever | 2nd Runner-Up | |||||
| 1954 | Margie Winkhoff | Semi-Finalist | |||||
| 1953 | Berneta Nelson | Semi-Finalist | |||||
| 1952 | No representative | ||||||
- ^ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant
References
- ^ a b "New Miss Nebraska USA crowned". KSNB-TV. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Arkun, Aram (2019-03-14). "Miss Nebraska Lex Najarian Vies for Miss USA 2019". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "News - Staff Related to Miss Nebraska". George C. Grape Community Hospital. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Coddington, Mark (2006-10-09). "Scotia native overcomes fear to win Miss Nebraska USA". The Grand Island Independent.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Barge, Evelyn (2005-03-31). "Pepperdine beauty-pageant contestants reveal the ins and outs of the pageant system". Pepperdine University Graphic. Archived from the original on 2010-06-14.
- ^ Hascall, Kelley (2006-10-09). "Several UNL students compete for Miss Nebraska". Daily Nebraskan. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16.
- ^ Hascall, Kelley (2005-10-10). "Crowning Achievements". WOWT. Archived from the original on 2013-02-10.
- ^ a b Baez, Leia (2002-10-11). "UNO student crowned Miss Nebraska". Gateway. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17.
- ^ a b "Duty Could Switch from Contest to Gulf". The Buffalo News. 1991-02-17.
- ^ a b Passalacqua, Connie (1986-05-18). "Staab will reign as soap's sweetest star". Tri City Herald.[permanent dead link]